No animals were harmed in the making of these rugs.

My daughter had dozens, maybe even a hundred stuffed animals during her early childhood. They would end up swimming with her in the lake or pool during vacations, on the conveyor belt during grocery shopping; a different personality hugged every night for many, many years.

Peacock

But where did all those stuffed animals go to die after they were loved to death? I wish I had known of Augustina Woodgate who brings us taxidermy of a sustainable sort with her series of Skin Rugs. Working with the pelts of well-loved toys, Woodgate joins a tradition of contemporary rugmakers whose mission draws on the past to help us rethink the present.

Pepe & Woodgate

Woodgate illuminates her process:

I started my Rug Collection two years ago and it has now become a life long project. The process involves many stages and collaborations. Collecting materials is typically how all my processes begin. Then the organization or reorganization of them. And then… the work just comes on its own. It all started with the observation of the relationship with objects. Myself and Pepe (my first and only teddy bear).

Home

By listening to her materials and the stories they illicit, Woodgate creates different arrangements that draw meaning for herself and the viewer. The fact that the rugs reference the personal histories of the previous owners contributes to the art of the project. As in Eastern cultural rug making, the pieces operate beyond utility to depict the spiritual and mental world woven into it. Woodgate gives us a medium in which to place our castoff toys’ love and affection at the same time creating an entirely new way to love them.

Royal

Galaxy

Rose Petals

Inspired by a post on Dirty Magazine All images: Augustina Woodgate

First image above:  No Rain No Rainbows

Eco, trends, art, creativity and how they tumble through social media to shape culture fascinate EcoSalon columnist Dominique Pacheco. Her personal blog, mixingreality, speaks to these topics daily, and here at EcoSalon, she takes a weekly look at the intersection of eco and art. We call it heARTbeat.

The post heARTbeat: Augustina Woodgate’s Stuffed Animal Pelt Rugs appeared first on EcoSalon.